You SHOULD go to grad school if:

There are many careers that require a graduate degree. You can’t practice law with out one, unless you’re Mike Ross. If you have a specific career or job that requires a grad degree, then go for it.

Your employer is paying for it

If you can get a free or greatly reduced degree, then this can be a great move. You may have to go part-time or take night/weekend classes, but it could save you thousands of dollars.

Finances aren’t an issue

If you have little or no undergraduate debt, it will be far less stressful going to graduate school. If you have an education fund or enough savings, this could make sense.

If you really love the topics and have the time

When I went to graduate school, it was because I genuinley loved the topics and I had the time. This was before my wife and I had children, so it was much easier. (Don’t think it would be possible now!)

You want to teach

If you want to be a professor or one day teach in higher education, most schools will require a graduate degree. If teaching is remotely on your radar, you should consider an advanced degree.

You want a raise

Many companies and organizations will give you an increase in salary if you increase your knowledge. Many in the public school system pursue advanced degrees for the increase in income. This can have significant impact over the life of your career.

In the life of every leader, whether of an organization, Campus Chapter, ministry, church, business, or of an individual creative endeavor, there are natural peaks and valleys. There are stretches of great successes and valleys of disappointing results.

When in the valley, don’t lose hope. Three things to do when entering a valley of disappointment:

Ever come up with a brilliant idea, but had no where to write it down? Ever have the solution to a huge problem just “come to you”, but you were in the shower or half a sleep in bed? Often times our best ideas come to us when we are not intentionally working on the ideas themselves. Why is that? Its a good problem to have right? Who doesn’t want to come up with more great ideas? This is how you can make it as a creative—come up with creative ideas. But what’s the secret?

If you are going to be successful as a creative, ie, doing something creative for a living, then you must find a way to find space. You need space from stimulation—anything with a screen. You need space from people and conversations. You need space from your email and to-do list.

This doesn’t mean a sabbatical in the Himalayas is necessary, although that could be nice. Studies show that a few minutes of separation or distraction from a project helps people gain fresh ideas.

The best way to find space and to ensure you actually do something with it. Try this:

Biggest Mistake on Resumes

The resume is the place where you can share why you are qualified for the job you are applying for. The problem is, most people use it like a dating profile. They put a lot of stuff on there, hoping that something will resonate with anyone with a pulse. They don’t have a specific match in mind.

Certainly if I put enough buzz words on here, I’ll match up with someone. So, you cover every possible scenario where the final factor comes down to whether the person is breathing or not.

This is the same thing people do with their resumes. They put down any and everything without focusing on a specific job or person. If you aim for nothing, the saying says, you’ll hit it every time.

You need to make your resume stand out, but not in an obnoxious, printed on pink paper stand out. You want your resume to be the one the hiring manager remembers after fanning through all the stacks. Better yet, you want your resume to be the one they compare other resumes to.